[95.02] The AAS: Its Next 100 Years

S. Wolff (NOAO)

The AAS: Its Next Hundred Years

"We are probably nearing the limit of all we can know about
astronomy."-- Simon Newcomb, 1888.

The best way to celebrate the centennial of the AAS is to
look forward, not backward, and to begin planning for the
next 100 years. However, predicting the future is even more
difficult than it was in Newcomb's time. We live in an era
characterized by an unprecedented rate of change in the
kinds of scientific questions we ask, the tools we use to
answer them, and the way we communicate our results. This
talk will highlight some of the issues that we will face as
a community during the next 10--but not the next 100!--years
and suggests that the AAS has a fundamental role to play in
shaping the community response to these issues.

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